Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 18(W3) - P2

Snack 1
Detox Smoothie + 1 egg white
I love this green smoothie, wish I had a better grinder to make a very fine smoothie, but I think for now I will just have to deal with the coarse smoothie!

Breakfast

3 egg whites + broccoli + red pepper + green beans
Forgot to drink my lime juice, will do that in evening

Lunch
Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes) + 3 egg whites - Tempeh

Snack 2

1 egg white + cucumber

Dinner

Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes) + 3 egg whites - Tempeh

Water

I did hit the goal of 70 oz

Exercise 

Body Beast - Bulk Back

Additional Comments

Yesterday's binge had me feeling the consequences today, my tummy was bloated, probably because of inflammation. One thing I have learned from this is if I want to eat something out of the diet, I will make the healthiest choice possible, eating crap makes you feel like one.

This week I have stayed away from soy as much as possible, had Edamame in lunch yesterday, but lunch and dinner(today and yesterday) had egg whites.

Tomorrow phase 3 is I-burn for me, I need to do all the prep work today so that I am able to accomplish something tomorrow.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 20 and 21 (W3) - I-Burn - Fail

I had decided to replace Phase 3 of FMD with I-burn; well I think I did fine on Friday and even Saturday was better; but Sunday was a total disaster. Not very proud of it, but it is what it is !! Anyways a new week and a new beginning and I am starting with last week of FMD and hope will be able to finish it strong.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 19(W3) - P3 - I-Burn - Day 1

Breakfast

I burn smoothie

Snack 1

Apple

Lunch

Strawberrry and Spinach Salad + i-burn soup + i-burn tea

Snack 2
Don't remember

Dinner

Chinese Stir Fry

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

Stretch and Yoga from FitnessBlender

Additional Comments
I-burn is not easy, but I managed.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 17(W3) - P2

Snack 1
Detox Smoothie + 1 egg white

Breakfast

3 egg whites + broccoli + red pepper + green beans + 1.5 limes juice

Lunch
Edamame Confetti Salad

Snack 2

1 egg white + cucumber

Dinner

Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes), but today I am going to eat 3 boiled eggs with it, instead of putting Tempeh in it.

Water

I think I did hit the goal of 70 oz

Exercise 

Body Beast - Bulk Leg
This was a tough workout, though only 40 minutes but it had me crying in pain.

Additional Comments

Its unlike last few times but I am feeling very hungry today, and craving sugar as well. Will try my best to curb the urges and eat as much as possible exactly as I have planned. Feeling sluggish as well, chills and tingling sensation in the body. May be carb withdrawal symptoms! So today I caved in and ate some stuff which was not on the diet, basically it was getting unnerving to the extend that I had tears in my eyes. No regrets!!

Today in midst of everything I realized that if I do not lose any weight this week on FMD, I don't think I will be able to do last week of this round. To be frank I am feeling disappointed today! Even a loss of 2 pounds is acceptable, but not gain and not even the same 139 pounds.

It was an emotional day for me, considering my journey to lose weight and be fit.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 16(W3) - P1

Breakfast

1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup strawberries/Blueberries

Snack 1
1 cup Frozen Mango

Lunch
Vegetarian Lentil Chili + Brown Rice tortilla + Orange

Snack 2

Apple

Dinner

Vegetarian Lentil Chili + Sweet Potato 

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Had been drinking Cranberry Herbal Tea.

Exercise 
Insanity Max30 sweat Interval

I think I did better in this workout than my performance in last workout. a Pre-workout will help a lot but I am not taking any pre-workout right now as it has caffeine; may be after FMD i will do a month of InsanityMax30 with pre-workout boost!

Additional Notes -

So disasters happen and today out of blue I binged, I ate 2 Oreos and two thin mint scout cookies; not my proudest moment but I am not going to spoil my rest of the day because of this. Slip up happens and this one thing is not going to spoil my whole journey. There have been times when I looked past all the food temptations and today was not one them. 

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 15(W3) - P1

Starting Weight – 139 pounds (weight increased by 1 pound from last week). Yes that is depressing and yes it takes lot of courage to be ok with these results and start a new week! You do feel like giving up and for a change let it go as easy as it can be; tired of restrictive eating; but then more than weight loss it is about the healthy life style changes and I am thankful that I am working towards that. This very thought made me do my meal preps yesterday night and press play for cardio in the morning!

Breakfast

1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup strawberries

Snack 1
1 cup Frozen Mango

Lunch
Vegetarian Lentil Chili + Brown Rice tortilla + Orange

Snack 2

Apple + cucumber

Dinner

Vegetarian Lentil Chili + Brown Rice pasta

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 
Insanity Max30 Cardio Challenge

This is a killer workout, no joke seriously insane! But I enjoyed it!

Additional Notes -

Today was impeccable in terms of food, but that is usually the case with Phase1, it is phase 2 and surprisingly more over phase 3 which are a problem! Anyways, this week's phase 3 is actually I-burn, ditto for week 4. Feels like my loss in terms of weight is stalled, but I think I will keep pushing, it is not that I am starving! I already excited about last week of FMD and so looking forward to plan my next one month, there are lot of combinations and plans going out in my mind!

Phase 1 and Phase 3 breakfast variations

I have done 3 rounds of FMD and I can tell you one thing, to be honest any of the recipe in the cookbooks are not tasty(Phase 1 and Phase 2); Only exception is Detox Smoothie !

If you ask my advise if you want to do FMD, keep your meals very very simple and basic, whenever I have tried to be fancy and try any of the fancy recipes from cookbook I have failed miserably(I still cannot get over the chocolate mug cake fiasco!!)

But that doesn't mean I do not look out for new recipe(as I am really bored with existing choices and I take pride in the fact that I can eat same food over and over again and not very choosy in terms of flavors)

Here are some of my finds for buckwheat recipes which i found online -

Recipe 1(Phase 1)

Recipe taken from this blog post

Buckwheat Pancakes
Serves: 8 medium-sized pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. stevia extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg white, beaten
1 cup rice milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions
Combine the dry ingredients in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. In a nonstick skillet or griddle, use 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook about 2 minutes or until little bubbles start to pop on the top. Flip and cook for another minute or two or until brown.

Recipe 2 (Phase 3)
Recipe taken from this blog post

Vegan Buckwheat Waffles
Serves: 4-5 waffles
Ingredients
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup fine oats
1 tbsp baking powder (a level tablespoon, not a heaping one!)
1 pinch of salt
1 shake cinnamon (up to your liking)
1 tbsp powdered chia seeds
1¾ cup coconut milk (light, or any other milk of your choice)
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions
Sift flour, mix in oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and powdered chia seeds.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk and stir well.
Add in maple syrup, coconut oil and slowly add in the remaining coconut milk until a smooth batter is reached (you might not need to add all of the liquid!)
Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, as the powdered chia seeds will gel up and also the other ingredients will soak up liquid. The batter will thicken.
If the batter has become too thick after 5 minutes, add in some of the (remaining) coconut milk. The batter should be a bit thicker than what you would use for pancakes.
Notes
- My waffles are about 18cm/7inces in diameter, and the batter makes about 4-5 waffles for me.
- If you are celiac, make sure the oats are certified gluten-free, as they are sometimes contaminated!

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 13 and 14 (W2) - P3

Breakfast

Saturday - I am going blank on what I ate for breakfast on Saturday.
Sunday - Veggie omlete + sweet potato

Snack 1

Saturday - Carrots + coconut
Sunday -  Carrots + coconut

Lunch

Saturday - Going blank on what I ate for lunch
Sunday - Miso Soup

Snack 2
Saturday - Carrots + coconut
Sunday - Sample trifle which we made at the art center.

Dinner

Saturday - Miso Soup
Sunday - Bellpepper curry + lentils + rice

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

Saturday - 21 DFX Yoga
Sunday - Rest Day

Additional Comments
So yes weekend did strike hard as always; not that I didn't say to countless temptations(and I am proud of that) but I think I could have done better(it was actually worse than last weekend). Anyways what is done is done, cannot do much about it. New week, fresh start!!

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 12(W2) - P3

Breakfast

Breakfast didn't happen as expected, I had a bread sandwich with cheese.

Snack 1

Did not happen as I was too full from breakfast.

Lunch

Roasted in EVOO Sweet potato, cauliflower and red bell pepper. Strawberries for fruit.

Snack 2
Hummus + bell pepper + Carrots + Cucumber

Dinner

Detox Smoothie and had a slice of Pizza(yes social obligations)

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

Ultimate Reset - Restore
Very slow paced workout, I am so used to go get workouts that the pace for this workout is painfully slow; but that is important too, slow down and take deep breaths,

Additional Comments
I have decided to replace I-burn with Phase 3 for next two weeks; some more prepping; but I think it will help me in reducing my weight and overall feel lighter. Will try it next week and see how it goes.

Also will include green detox smoothies as a snack tomorrow with half avacado.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 11(W2) - P2

Snack 1
Detox Smoothie + 1 egg white

I like this smoothie; it has funny texture but it is very refreshing. I put a serving of green grass as well in it.

Breakfast

3 egg whites + broccoli + red pepper

Lunch 
Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes).

Snack 2

1 egg white + 2 cucumber

As I mentioned yesterday dropped the idea of chocolate mug cake as it tastes yucky to me.

Dinner

Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes).

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz

Exercise 

Body Beast - Shoulders

Finished this workout against all odds, woke up late(it is a 40 min workout), iPad battery was 2% left by the time I finished my workout and my exercise ball needs more air. But I so wanted to be done with the workout in the morning that all this was worth it.

Additional Comments

Phase 3 starts tomorrow, need to buy some things like hummus for tomorrow. Phase 3 especially weekends are very tough for me because well life happens(social obligations) and I would say my will power is particularly low on weekends. I will try my best though. I am going to set an intention and make it happen, something in me says I am going to crave kale smoothie ...

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 10(W2) - P2

Phase 2 day 1 didn't go as bad as I expected, main reason for my hesitation was I was home(snowed in) and thought probably that would mean I would binge on something off the list; but I did fairly well; kind of proud of myself.

Snack 1
Detox Smoothie + 1 egg white

This time I could use Kale, it is difficult to drink because of texture, but one thing I want to mention is that it is surprisingly fulling; I was not hungry for hours. Breakfast timing got shifted to lunch because I didnt feel like eating anything. It actually became my breakfast.

Breakfast/Lunch

3 egg whites + broccoli + red pepper

Snack 2

Chocolate mug cake + 1 egg white + cucumber

You know what I think I am going to give up on this chocolate mug cake recipe; no matter how I try it always comes out tasting yucky...I still cannot believe how can anything chocolaty taste so bad.

Dinner

Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes).

I think it has a version of the recipe on Hailey's website as well. This is good. I know I am breaking the rule of the diet that if you are not vegan you should eat egg whites, but truth be told I do not think I can eat egg white for dinner without throwing up. A girl has got to remain sane and hence I opted for this; I know the results may not be drastic, but then I am ok with that. Right now I am aiming to lose 2 pounds a week which will put me into the place of lowest weight since I had my daughter i.e.132 pounds. If I am able to achieve that I think I would say my diet has been successful. 

Water

I think I did hit the goal of 70 oz, but I didn't count the glasses; it is kind of tough to do that when at home.

Exercise 

Body Beast - Build chest/Tri

Now this doesn't feel as such when it comes to working out; I am used to lot of sweating even during strength training so this was not much of a burn(might feel the burn after one day). Added a small session of some leg exercises in the evening; was interrupted by cuddles of a little monster!!

Additional Comments

A successful day as per my books; oh I did eat handful of spicy peanuts as I was going insane...but those 10 peanuts were enough to kick my craving off the curve.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 9(W2) - P1

Breakfast

1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup blueberries

Snack 1
Guava

Lunch
Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + Brown Rice tortilla + Apple

Snack 2

Apple

Dinner

Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) 

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 
T25 Speed 3.0

Additional Notes -

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 8(W2) - P1

Starting Weight – 138 pounds

Breakfast

1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup blueberries

Snack 1
1 cup Frozen Mango  (Can we just have phase 1 forever)

Lunch
Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + Brown Rice tortilla + Apple

Snack 2

Dinner

Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + Brown rice tortilla

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 
T25 Speed 2.0

Additional Notes -
Ok I did cheat a bit on my diet today. Emotional stress got worst of me; nothing outrageous but yes not perfect either. 

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 6 & 7(W1) - P3

Weight on Saturday morning - 138 pounds(2 pounds down this week)

I sometimes feel Saturday and Sunday are tougher than Phase2; it is different kind of tough as you really want to let it loose after a week of craziness. Also I often get lazy and do not want to cook for self specifically!! Anyhow I think I did Ok, with some slip ups. I will list them down so that I can plan better for next week

Breakfast

Saturday - Had Indian breakfast; it had veggies and carb and was fat too!!
Sunday - Veggie omlete with one one toast

Snack 1

Was not so good at snacking, in the sense sometimes didnt feel like eating or sometimes ate only fat and couldnt include veggies. AREA OF IMPROVEMENT FOR NEXT WEEK.

Lunch

Saturday - Chinese Stir Fry
Sunday - This is where I goofed up, had two slices of pizza as I went to someone's house for lunch.

Snack 2
Had Indian tea for snack one day and it has sugar(Yes I am hiding my face in shame); but hey whatever it takes to pep up your mood a little bit.

Dinner

Saturday - Okra + chana dal + Roti
Sunday - Hummus + veggies

Water

I doubt I would have hit the target. AREA OF IMPROVEMENT FOR NEXT WEEK.

Exercise 

Only thing I was consistent in as this is really a habit for me now; I feel terrible if I do not press play everyday. I am actually pretty proud of this achievement
Saturday - 21 day fix yoga extreme
Sunday - T25 Stretch

Additional Comments
New week, new hope and determination. some days I feel disappointed that I do not have awesome before and after pictures; but then I know that these small changes bring big changes internally. 

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 5(W1) - P3

One minute let me shout like a manic before I can act like a lady and blog...YAHHHOOOOOOOO..!! First it is Fri-YAY and then on top of that it is phase 3 of FMD; its like the best day of the week. I woke up at 4:45 today, fully energized and feeling optimistic!!

Breakfast

Oatmeal + blueberries + cashew + coconut shavings + peanut butter(yes inventory issues, need to buy almond butter this week). Also had carrots and bell pepper as veggies.

I am feeling so full. This is one thing which I have learned about food, fat keeps you satiated for a long time. It was snack time and I was not even feeling hungry. Will have little bit though

Snack 1

Hummus + bell pepper

Lunch

Brussel Sprouts+ green beans+sweet potato roasted in coconut oil. Also for protein I forgot to soak beans and do not have boxed beans(added to grocery list), so I would be eating cottage cheese for the protein with lunch.  For fruit it is peach.

Snack 2
Hummus + bell pepper + Carrots

Dinner

Chinese stir fry(made with Olive Oil) + brown rice(Will see if I need more fat, then I will add half an avocado.

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

Ultimate Reset - Reclaim

Additional Comments
Phase 3 is everyone's favorite as this is the closest to a normal meal everyone is used to(at least I am used to). I can eat like this forever. Actually after my round 4 I am planning to try to incorporate Ketogenic Diet with always a salad for lunch. This will be my maintenance approach. I am thrilled for my weight in on Sunday, just need to keep strong for Saturday; weekends are usually tough as temptations and social obligations do come up.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 4(W1) - P2

Great news !!! No headache !! Woke up feeling lean. Had to wake up at 4:45am as my workout for today was 50 minutes long.

Snack 1
Detox Smoothie + 1 egg white + 1 Lemon water

Again replaced kale with spinach; also added half scoop of greens.

Had my first dose of the day of fat blaster.

Breakfast

3 egg whites + broccoli + red pepper

Forgot to add mushroom today. Somehow this turned out super yucky today. Manged to eat it, but I do not think I will be eating eat for next 3 days at least.

Lunch
Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes).

I have to go out with a friend in the evening, so I thought something filling would be a better idea. Hence replaced the salad with Stew. Will have salad in evening!

Snack 2
1 egg white + cucumber

Didn't care to make the mug cake today, it was not good to eat anyways. If I feel hungry I might try to drink some protein shake.

Dinner

Confetti Salad (it has soy beans)

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

Body Beast - Back/Bis (50 min long workout, these are slow paces and with long breaks, but they are torturous)

Additional Comments

Couldn't be happier that I am done with first week phase 2 already...I am looking forward to eat some fat next three days. Phase 3 is very precarious that way, it is very easy to get derailed and start eating. As a word of caution, Phase 3 is not 'all you want to eat' phase, it has very strategic food types which you have to consume and not doing phase 3 properly essentially means undoing the hardwork of phase2(I didn't say phase 1 because that hardly sounds like hard work to me). So need to stay strong next three days, it will be worth it in the end !!

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 3(W1) - P2

Lean protein and lots of alkalizing veggies unlock stored fat and build muscles, do don't forget to workout with weights - Hailey Pomroy

Motivation for phase 2 right there..unlocks stored fat and build muscles...motivation to eat no carbs and all the egg whites in this world(I don't mind veggies)...stay strong !!!

Day 3 started with a headache as well, avoided taking tynenol at work, as don't feel so great about taking pain killers. Hoping that these will subside next week, it is just first week symptoms(though I do not drink tea or coffee in morning anyways so I wonder what withdrawal symptoms might be).

One thing which I have noticed is that by the end of the day I am very tired, I was trying to think of the reason and I think it might be because of the restrictive nature of this diet. You need to exercise your will power every second of the day, leaving you depleted. Exercising will power does make you tired and that is scientifically proven. This is one thing which I dislike about this diet, I am thinking about food for all the time except when I am sleeping; it cannot be healthy. I need freedom from this constant 'food thinking'! Next thing to do once I finish this round of FMD.

Also, I do not think I can take pictures of my food, no time for that and I seldom plate my food properly and eat(I know..not good..but a girl got to do what a girl got to do..I can either follow the plan and go to work  or just follow the plan)

Snack 1
Detox Smoothie + 1 egg white + 1 Lemon water

This was surprisingly delicious, though I replaced kale with Spinach(inventory issues)

Breakfast

3 egg whites + broccoli + red pepper + mushroom
Don't like it, have to literally eat a spoonful and then chug it down with a gulp of water!(I know not a good way to eat..but then a girl's got to do what a girl got to do!!

Lunch
Confetti Salad (it has soy beans)

Realized that I cannot sit and eat this at my seat as it is too crunchy and people would wonder what am i eating. Also it takes me half an hour to eat it...chomp chomp for half an hour...my neighboring desk people might complain on me!!

Snack 2
Chocolate mug cake + 1 egg white + cucumber

After epic fail few months back, I tried it again..not as bad as it was last time(it was inedible actually)..I was able to eat it at the least, how can something chocolatey taste so bad(it is the fat that makes it tasty and no doubt when companies make something fat free they need to put ton of chemicals else the stuff will taste yucky..NOTE to self...no fat free chemical stuff ...reduced fat still ok..but go full fat..see I am learning!!)

Dinner

Tempeh Vegetable Stew(Cook book recipes).

I think it has a version of the recipe on Hailey's website as well. Again had to replace kale with spinach. Will replace this with egg options next week. I cannot eat egg white souffle at night!

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

Body Beast - Build Legs

Additional Comments
It was a successful day. I started the dose of Fat Blaster from Hailey Pomroy as well. I am so happy that I was able to stick to the plan.

I did eat one piece of matri though(it is a Indian savory delicacy).

I ended the day with a cup of Chamomile tea.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 2(W1) - P1

Headache from Day 1 continued to day 2 and so did the chills. I couldnt do some of the exercise moves properly(Had to follow modifier) as jumping kind of aggravates my headache. I had to take a tynenol in office as who can work with a splitting headache.

Breakfast

1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup blueberries

Snack 1
1 cup Frozen Mango

Lunch
Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + sprouted grain tortilla + orange

Snack 2
1 small apple

Dinner

Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + quinoa

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 

T25 Speed 2.0

Additional Comments
I was about to skip my evening dinner as I did not have the patience to eat the vegetable curry yet again. But 'miraculously' (yes I am being over dramatic) i came up with an idea. I chopped up some thin slices of red onion and half a lime and some green chilies and mixed it in the vegetable curry. Voila !!! it was so yummy that I actually enjoyed every bite of it. It was like a chat(person of Indian origin will recognize this term). So I finished my day 2 strong with a cup of Chamomile tea. Slept at 9:30pm as I had to wake up at 4:45am next morning. Body beast workouts are longer so I need to wake up a 15-20 minutes earlier! Though would not lie I am bit disheartened to think that there are three more cycles of this yet to come; but then i will try to take it one day at a time. I did finish three rounds of it earlier so I can do this round too as well.

Fast Metabolism Diet - Round 4 Day 1(W1) - P1

So it is day 1 and that too phase 1 so I am right on target, going strong, updating the app with all responses. Actually app is very helpful in terms of planning and remaining accountable.

Starting Weight – 140 pounds

Measurements -

Breakfast
1 cup Oatmeal + 1 Cup blueberries

Snack 1
1 cup Frozen Mango  (Can we just have phase 1 forever)

Lunch
Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + sprouted grain tortilla + orange

Snack 2
1 small apple

Dinner

Vegetable curry(recipe from cook book) + sprouted grain tortilla

Water

Hit the goal of 70 oz 

Exercise 
T25 Core Cardio

Additional Notes -
So one of the things which I said in my earlier posts is that I need to work to follow two principles – eat within 30 min of waking up and do not go fast without breaking fast. Fact is I wake up at 5am and by 5:30 I start my workout for the day. I think I feel so much better if I workout before eating anything, my performance is better and also who can eat at 5:30! Nevertheless I ate few spoons of frozen blueberries before my workout. Finished rest with my breakfast of oatmeal. One other thing which I broke is had my shakeology; I thought I need some more nutrition and felt like having my shakeology. We are responsible for our results, so I know I am taking this deviation and am fully accepting the responsibility of the impact it might have on my results. I will though take only pea protein during phase 2. 

I think I should document this journey more in terms of pictures, may be on instagram(can post the same pictures on blog later). Only problem is my food is not pretty looking and I aint got time to make it look pretty for pictures)...I am scared that I might end up posting pictures that might actually disgust people rather than inspire them.

Day was marked with terrible headache and chills; I do not know what I am doing wrong! I wont say I was bloated but I had headache and I had to take tynenol at night to get a restful sleep. Was asleep by 9! I usually do not take caffeine and I am used to eating carbs, then what would have trigerred headache? One of the remedies mentioned on the Haylie's blog is to have coconut vinegar/apple cider vinegar. I will try that too.

I am happy that day 1 is down...27 more to go! There were times I was feeling why the hell am I doing something so restrictive but the fact is I have tried so many things in last few years, this is the only thing which has helped me in losing weight; so I better suck it up...I thought round 4 would be easier and that too phase 1 would be easier; but I am surprised it is not...I am so cranky and annoyed...Hope I will be able to get some motivation to thread along...

FMD Round 4 - Exercise Calendar

As this blog is one of the ways to keep me accountable during this FMD round, I am here publishing my workout calendar as well.

Workout Calendar for FMD(phase specific) and using Beachbody programs

So the workouts are phase specific and have planned it around five of beachbody programs - T25, 21DFX, Body beast, Ultimate reset and Piyo). I will see if I need Piyo workouts as I feel for that week. I might just add some dance workout as dancing is the best stress buster for me.

As to check the inventory I need to go ahead with the workouts -
1. Bench - I do not have this and I am still contemplating if I need this. As part of my minimalistic approach to things in my home, this is unnecessary as I can just buy a stability ball.
2. Stability Ball - I might just buy this one and skip on bench
3. Resistance Band - Got it
4. Dumbbells - I have following weights - 2, 8, 10, 12.5 and 25. I think I might need a pair of 20 or at least 15. Will decide based on my exercises from the week 1.

Hailey has mentioned in her book that only one day of phase specific exercise is sufficient for that phase, but I love working out and it is for my mental health(what can I say I am addicted to endorphins!!) But if there is a dearth of time and I have to chose between meal prep and exercise I should be choosing meal prep. I will try to buy as many frozen and cut vegetables as possible and will also include smoothie recipe.

Next round of FMD starts Monday 3/6

Help on Haylie Pomroy's website is very helpful

I recently realized that all my FMD emails are going in SPAM box, and I was wondering why I am not getting any more emails from FMD. Well it has been corrected so hopefully now I will be receiving emails.

I was just browsing through the help section and found some very useful tips(https://hayliepomroy.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/212178466-HELP-I-m-not-losing-weight-)

Below are the tips which I think I will be using on my next round, which starts on 6th March.

1. Extend-a-phase

         Would be super tough to increase my phase 2 to three days, God the idea makes me dizzy, but you got to do what you got to do, so I will be incorporating this alternate week. Wish me luck !!

2. Shift your grains

         I can do that, so it would be more of sweet potato and quinoa as I have been eating more of grains in last few rounds.

3. Add veggies to your snacks

         I think i do slack on this one, especially during weekends. In my lessons learned I have mentioned this as one of the things I want to improve on. I think meal prep might be the key to implement it.

4 Puree some strategic vegetables

        I think I will add some green smoothies(Detox smoothie for phase 2). Will also add basil to the mix as it has been mentioned as a good plateau-buster. Kale shake !!

5. Pucker up

       Will try more lemon water. Half lemon in herbal tea after I wake up.

6. Belly Flat Salad

         I loved the recipe of this salad but getting organic Papaya is very tough, I have not found one in Trader's Joe or Whole Foods also. And 1/4 cup of lemon juice is a LOT of lemon juice, might be like 3 lemons. Anyways might try this salad anyways.

I am bit in a fix here, have been diligently following Dr Eric Berg on FB and really likes his point of view on diet and supporting important organs, got his book as well. Now I am in a fix should i try his 14 days liver enhancement diet and then move on to Fast Metabolism diet or first do one round of FMD and then try Liver Enhancement.

If I decide on next round of FMD, it would be from 6 March - 2 April. Pretty much my last chance to have a summer body before summer arrives. I know that if I do it diligently I will lose weight and will feel greater.

Looking back at Round 1, 2 and 3 and planning for Round 4, slip ups and areas of improvement

This is actually not an easy post for me to do; but I am sure it will be very beneficial for me. This is the post where I acknowledge the slips I had in the fast metabolism diet. I have done three rounds of it since September last year and not all these slips have happen all the time, but it is high time to access these so that I know what to watch out when I actually do the round 4 in March. I am planning to do a very rigorous round 4 with extra emphasis on following the book to the T.



1. Not eating within 30 minutes of waking up
Round 1 - no(but yes sometimes)  Round 2 - Yes Round 3 - yes

Yes I defy one of the main rules from the diet; it is very difficult for me to eat first thing in the morning. I will try to follow it diligently in round 4. Also, in round 3, one thing not allowed on FMD but I added here is chai with sugar. This was the only thing which kept me going. I have replace that with Herbal Tea and Phase specific snack. This will be tough to do though!

Change - YES

2. Portion Sizes
Round 1 - no(yes sometimes)  Round 2 - no(yes sometimes) Round 3 - yes
I was better with portion sizes in round 1 and round 2. Round three i mixed up portion sizes, i missed some food groups and missed meals as I was not feeling hungry(especially phase 2 where I was not ready to put any more egg white in my mouth. Portion sizes need special attention on phase 3 fat.

Change - YES

3. Protein powder
Round 1 - no  Round 2 - no Round 3 - yes
I used to drink Shakeology, after starting FMD i stopped drinking Shakeology; but in round 3 I felt that I had to replace my snack 3 with protein powder in hot water. It made me feel good. Hailey does offer her own phase specific drinks so I think it is ok to drink protein powder, so i think I can take vegan vanilla Shakeology(or may be stick to Chocolate as Vanilla made me gag)

Change - PROBABLY NOT

4. Skip Meals -
Round 1 - no  Round 2 - no(yes sometimes) Round 3 - yes
Especially in phase 2 I skipped dinner; accepting that I cannot take another bite of egg white or broccoli I did prefer to drink chamomile tea and sleep at night.

Change - YES

5. Eating on time(3-4 hours between meals)
Round 1 - no  Round 2 - no(yes sometimes) Round 3 - yes
I will get caught in things and will not eat at the recommended time. Now I have app so it must be easier do will try to stick with it in round 4.

Change - YES

6. Phase 3 grain consumption is higher, sticking to plan on weekend had been impossible
Round 1 - yes  Round 2 - yes Round 3 - yes

Keeping up with FMD is particularly tough on Saturday and Sunday. Even if I manage Friday the weekend is always tough. I never realized that grain was not allowed in Phase 3 lunch; also dinner grain is also optional; I used to eat at both. I do not remember a single day on weekend in phase 3(Saturday and Sunday) which has been impeccable; I will cave in or something will come up and I will eat outside the plan.

Change - YES

7. Supplements
Round 1 - yes  Round 2 - yes Round 3 - yes
So I have been taking supplements for all the rounds. Supplements I am currently taking are -
 - Spirulina
 - Ashwagandha
 - Vitamin D
 - CLA

What I am contemplating to take - Whole food supplement(Dr Mercola), Adrenal formula by Dr Berg(contemplating) or supplement suggested by Haylie Pomroy herself. Now all these supplements are super expensive so I have to really think about this point. Here is the cost breakup(30 day supply)
Whole Food Supplement(Dr Mercola) - $48
Adrenal Formula(day and night) - 27$
Haylie Pomroy's(Metabolism Multi) - 58$
Haylie Pomroy's(Fat Blaster Bundle) - 130$ (I wish her stuff was less expensive!!!)

So as you can see lot of money is at stake; but then what is also at stake is mending my metabolism. If I am going all the way to make it impeccable then why be scared for 50$ more.


8. Meal Preparation
Round 1 - yes  Round 2 - yes Round 3 - yes

Well I think this diet is impossible for a working person if they do not meal prep, so I did put yes on all the rounds; but it is listed as slips because I think all the slip ups above this point can be overcome if I prep my meals better. I should buy containers; prep for the phase, portion out and have the boxes ready.

This I think will be the game changer in round 4. If I am able to do that I wil be successful.

Things I need to make this work -
1. Meal prep using the Metabolism App - Need to do that because that governs the groceries I will buy.
2. Chopping and cutting(phew always tough and feels like a waste of time when you are in a hurry)
3. If anything can be pre-cooked and frozen
4. If boxes of prepared meals can be kept(phase 2 is tricky in this aspect, but the phase 2 lunch can be prepared)
5. Blogging; Yes I am going to blog my food again, this takes up time, but have good impact
6. Use the cookbook more; as the current recipe are getting boring.
7. Have to create some fun challenge for sticking to the plan for phase 3 over weekends, example can buy this or take this massage etc.


These are the things I could think of right now, I will add more to these if I can think about it. I am determined to make my Round 4 epic; something which is worth a case study for FMD.

Round 3 of Fast Metabolism Diet - Last week - Round up

So I documented my journey of round 1 and round 2 of fast metabolism diet; i captured what I ate every day. I must say it was a family wedding and though I didnt reach the size I wanted to be(how much is anyways possible and healthy in 2 months; I was pretty happy with the results. I did lose around 8 pounds which has never happened in last 5 years!

Then there was a break and I indulged in all Indian sweets and delicacies(do not regret even a single bite of those); the new year though started in a funk with me back to 146 pounds. Second week of Jan I decided to start FMD again. This is my third week into the diet. This time around I have not been capturing the details in blog; which is a bummer as nothing keeps you more accountable than writing what you ate.

So yes I have not been super diligent about my diet this time around. I will finish week 4 on Feb 4; will take a week or two off and do next round of FMD! But next time I am sure about -

1. Using Fast Metabolism Diet App to plan my meals; it is so convenient then why not use it to make things better. I actually got to know a mistake I have been making in Phase 3, I thought grains are a part of Phase 3 lunch; but guess what they are not! Helpful app!!

2. Using blog to capture what I actually ate; kind of different between what I planned and what I ate; I will also track what I felt different that day and what was most rewarding and challenging about the diet that day. Also I capture the exercise I did that day.

3. Need to read the book again and also refer to the cookbook again; need to find some more recipes for phases; kind of bored of the one's I have been eating.

4. Meal prepping - I know this can save my life and make things so much easier for me; but I confess I still lack at this. Sometimes I think what is the point of doing a half ass attempt on the diet but then I cave in to some temptations thinking if this little bit can help me get through the day without screwing everything then why not. Example Phase 2 this week, I had to put cracker pieces in my Broccoli and Soya Bean salad as there was no way I was able to eat it and I was hungry!! Well that half serving of crackers helped me get through day 3 and 4.

Any diet is a emotional ride; yesterday I was almost in tears as i ate one more piece of egg white; but at the end of the day it does make me feel so energetic and light that in the end it makes everything worth it. I am glad that I know about it; it is definitely easier now than it was when i did it first time back in 2013/2014.

My biggest take from this diet if not anything else is that eliminating Sugar and Caffeine from my diet does wonders for my energy and mood swings. I do not think I will ever go back to that crazy dessert eating maniac. Right now I do not crave sweets; but my craving for crackers and salty spicy food persists.

I will measure my weight tomorrow or Sunday morning, will report back!